The exhibition is free and open to the public and can be viewed simply by walking past the vitrines located on LaGuardia Place and West 3rd Street.
New York University’s Kimmel Windows Galleries presents In the Labyrinth | works by Kiley Ames, on view at street-level at NYU’s Kimmel Center for University Life, June 29-Sept 6, 2017. In the Labyrinth is on display 24/7 at 60 Washington Square South. [Subways: A/C/E/B/D/F/M to West 4th Street; 6 to Astor Place; R to 8th Street]
An opening reception will take place on July 5th, from 5:30-8pm, in the lobby of The Skirball Center for Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Pl, New York, NY 10012. For more information, please see the Kimmel Galleries’ Facebook page.
This Beautiful Sound (2017) - oil on linen, 40x40 inches
A Discordant Melody (2016) - bronze, 4.5 x 5.25 x 4.75 inches
Reconstruction (2017) - oil on burlap on panel, 30x40 inches
“Each work in Kiley Ames’ exhibition, In the Labyrinth, is an exercise in variety,” remarks Sue Park, curatorial intern for Kimmel Galleries. “Through a diverse array of media, from clay and wood to oil paint on burlap, Ames creates a world where representation of the human condition is less reliant on realism than it is defined by the interactions of each visual component.”
Drawn from the complex relationships between individual and whole, Ames’ pieces are characterized by their merging of contrasting visual elements. The dense flecks of color populating Startled by Stillness—light against dark, muted against vivid—come together to ultimately create an image simultaneously unified and disparate, reflecting the alienation of the subject itself.
“Ames’ work is distinctive and emotionally resonant, not only portraying women as strong and resilient in the face of societally imposed challenges, but also striking a chord with the viewer and thereby asking them to engage with their own respective environments,” said Pamela Jean Tinnen, curator for Kimmel Galleries.
Though diverse in technique, material, and form, Ames’ work shares the common narratives of emotional complexity and feminine resilience. In each piece, Ames reflects the often contradictory emotional spectrum of the female experience, imbuing her subjects with both strength and vulnerability. The woman’s downward gaze in This Beautiful Sound, constructed by Ames’ trademark flurries of short, colorful strokes, reads as both haughty and inviting, blurring the line between the audience as voyeur and friend.
About Kiley Ames: Ms. Ames lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She received her BA in History from UCLA, a BFA from Art Center College of Design and an MFA from the New York Academy of Art. Ames has been awarded residencies in Beijing and Shanghai as well as in Leipzig, Germany. She is the recipient of multiple grants including the Barbara Deming Memorial Grant, Leslie T. and Frances U. Posey Foundation and the Vermont Studio Center. In addition to her own studio practice, she freelances at Annie Leibovitz Studio. Recent exhibitions include It Figures: The Body in Art, Arc Gallery, Chicago, IL; States of Reality, Gallery 66, Cold Springs, NY, and Postcards from the Edge, Sikkema Jenkins Gallery, New York, NY.
In 2018, Ames will have her first international solo exhibit in Cape Town, South Africa, and her first museum exhibition at the American University Museum in Washington, D.C.
In the Labyrinth is curated by Pamela Jean Tinnen, Director for NYU Kimmel Galleries; Curatorial Interns: Sue Park and Lauren Park. For all press and sales inquiries, please contact Ms. Tinnen: Pamela.Jean.Tinnen@nyu.edu or 212.998.4950.
About the Kimmel Galleries: Established in 2003, Kimmel Galleries are dedicated to providing visually dynamic and thought provoking exhibitions. They are free and open to the public. For more information on tours, the artists or price inquiries, please contact the Curator, Pamela Jean Tinnen, at 212 298 4950, or pamela.jean.tinnen@nyu.edu.
Past exhibitions include: Patterns of Interest: photography by Stephen Mallon; HOUSE: HOME; Field Season: records, wandering perspectives, side notes, a selection of photographs from Abydos, by Greg Maka, Amanda Kirkpatrick and Gus Gusciora; Preconceived Notions; and Perspectives: A photography exhibit about traveling and living in our world; DITTO: WORKS IN BLUE, Shira Toren, among others.